Don't
by WritesWithQuill
Summary: There was no chance of the Imperial army maintaining their control of the Great Bridge of Myrddin when the combined strength of the remnants of the Kingdom, Alliance and Church came at it at once. Still, Ferdinand was sure he could protect the Imperial soldiers as they fled, no matter what Hubert said.


_DISCLAIMER:__ Fire Emblem (specifically Three Houses) is property of Intelligent Systems and Nintendo, only the story within is my own. _

_Contains spoilers(?) for chapters 16 (The Rose Coloured River) of the three non-Crimson Flower routes - in so much as it states that Ferdinand is there and some creative liberties were taken with the exact timing of the attack. It's also a tragedy and contains implicit character death and Ferdibert so, I mean, if you're not into reading implicit homosexuality or character death, you might want to go elsewhere. Rating matches FE:3H and all violence within fits the tone of the game._

_Written simply to work through some thoughts and ideas on my end as well as a tentative dipping of my toe back into FE waters after writing so much Octopath this past year. Reviews would be greatly appreciated!_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

_There was no chance of the Imperial army maintaining their control of the Great Bridge of Myrddin when the combined strength of the remnants of the Kingdom, Alliance and Church came at it at once. Still, Ferdinand was sure he could protect the Imperial soldiers as they fled, no matter what Hubert said._

* * *

Don't

One by one their former classmates had deserted the Empire in its time of need.

Linhardt and Caspar disappeared shortly after the war broke out, refusing to stand with their fathers since they had never wanted – or never had the opportunity to – inherit their titles anyway. A little over a year after the war started, Brigid declared their independence from Fódlan and Adrestia lost Petra too. By the end of the second year, Dorothea had seen enough bloodshed to last her a lifetime and fled the country to the east, disappearing into the mountains of Almyra, if the reports were to be believed. When finally Count Varley fell in battle a little before the end of the fourth war torn year, Bernadetta broke her bow over her knee and fled – in screaming tears – to the Alliance, wanting nothing more to do with Adrestia now that there was no one to hold her hostage there.

By the time news reached the south that the Eisner twins had been found alive and well, messages were already flooding in that they'd rejoined their former students and set up base in Garreg Mach. Whispers in the wind indicated that what remained of Faerghus was joining the Alliance in the fight against the Empire.

And with just two trusted generals remaining alongside the Emperor and her advisor, the Empire was more than a little outnumbered.

"Randolph has been slain," Ferdinand reported to Edelgard and Hubert the minute he stepped into the throne room, out of breath and exhausted from another harsh gallop across the Empire. "And the resistance is now travelling under a banner depicting the Crest of Flames."

"Then it's safe to believe our reports of the Professors leading the resistance army?" Hubert asked, as troubled as Edelgard was by the news. It often seemed like only bad news filled the Imperial halls these days, one failure after another greeted the trio day in and day out.

"I did not see them myself," Ferdinand hedged, not wanting to confirm anything without the certainty of seeing it with his own eyes but equally not wanting to give the Emperor false hope. "However, reports from those who escaped Ailell certainly suggest that the army is being led by the pair. Or a pair who greatly resemble the Professors at the very least."

Hubert sighed and began to pace, his chin in his hand; Edelgard's head fell into her hands in anger; and all Ferdinand could do was watch in saddened frustration, torn by the fact that all he seemed to do nowadays was make the pair miserable.

"My apologies for continuing to bring bad news." He bowed knowing an apology was never enough.

There was nowhere for the Empire to turn, they were backed against the wall like cornered dogs. Yes, the could continue to fight, continue to give every battle their all in the hopes that this time they would win, but there were only so many soldiers left. And more and more of them were deserting just when the Empire needed them the most.

"Do we know where the army is headed next?" Edelgard asked, dejected once again. The stalemate had finally broken, for that much she was grateful, but for the tides to have changed against them so quickly…

"They'll be headed here, your Majesty." Hubert sighed again. These last five years hadn't been good to him: if his complexion had been pasty in their academy days, it was practically sallow now, his skin stretched far too thin over his skull, his eyes all too dark from night after night of worry, scheming and insomnia.

"By where? East or West?" Edelgard insisted, moving to stand before the large map of Fódlan on the wall. "East is a shorter route, certainly, but if they take the west they can regain the Kingdom and their supply chains..."

"I believe they are headed south via the Great Bridge of Myrddin." Ferdinand offered, looking up at the map in thought. "While a sane man would certainly want to regain the Kingdom and regroup their resources, it is safe to say that King Dimitri is no sane man."

"Dimitri's alive?" Edelgard asked in incredulity.

"So our spies say." Ferdinand nodded, still in the dark about the relationship between the pair. However he'd seen the look in Dimitri's eye when Edelgard had revealed herself to be the Flame Emperor, he was still haunted by that break in his mind so plain on his face as he'd heard the news.

"Well," Hubert chuckled. "That certainly does make matters a little easier."

"What do you mean, Hubert?" Edelgard asked, her face twisted in some contortion of frustration, melancholy and fear.

"His 'Majesty' is certainly after your head, Lady Edelgard, and he will take the shortest route to sever it. Furthermore, while the Alliance displays a united front against us, there are many noble houses along the northern banks of the Airmid river who display either a stance of neutrality or Imperial alliance simply because of their proximity to the Great Bridge of Myrddin. Meaning Claude will want to take the Bridge as soon as he can to regain those houses and bolster his own resources."

"Yes, of course!" Ferdinand exclaimed. "Houses Gloucester and Ordelia are on the northern side of the river, are they not? While House Ordelia holds little power nowadays, Claude will certainly want Count Gloucester on his side."

"So they'll attack us via the Great Bridge..." Edelgard said quietly, lost completely in thought for a few silent moments.

The three of them – or rather the two of them and Ferdinand – hadn't necessarily gotten on all that well in their Academy days, but after their fellow students started to leave them, they had started to cling to one another, to rely on one another. The name 'the Jewels of the Empire' seemed to follow Hubert and Ferdinand around, much to Edelgard's scoffing distaste. The public knew Hubert only as the Emperor's right hand, serving and protecting her from all threats in the shadows; meanwhile, they knew Ferdinand as her left, serving as an almost shield for Adrestia as he and his horse rode from east to west, south to north and back again in search of a telltale threat that Hubert might need to eliminate.

Yes, they still drove each other up the wall at times, but at the end of the day, there was no one Ferdinand would rather have a drink with than Hubert; there was no one Hubert trusted more to protect Edelgard than Ferdinand and himself.

Their school yard courting and childish way of avoiding their emotions was quite frankly driving Edelgard batty.

"I will set out immediately." Ferdinand announced suddenly, almost at the door by the time Edelgard and Hubert had realised he'd spoken.

"I beg your pardon?" Hubert asked in surprise.

"You need people to defend the Bridge, do you not?" Ferdinand asked, a little confused by their surprise himself. It made sense that he was out there fighting on the front lines for them, didn't it? "If I take to horse now, I can be at the Great Bridge before morning."

"Ladislava is already stationed at Myrddin, Ferdinand." Hubert sighed, pinching his nose. He was always so quick to volunteer himself for dangerous missions, never realising that his talents would be better spent here, by Edelgard's side. "There is no need for you to-"

"Hold a moment, Hubert." Edelgard interrupted him, going to her notes of who was stationed where as a strategy started to form behind her eyes. "If Ferdinand joins Ladislava today, our chances of keeping the bridge are doubled. Not only that, but if we get the messengers out now, we can bring reinforcements up from Fort Merceus in just a week and east from Arianrhod in a little over three if they march hard. If the enemy dawdles even a little..."

"Your Majesty, while your logic is sound, the pattern of the enemy has been to attack on the last day of the month, that's three days from now." Hubert pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought again. "Would it not be wiser to pull Ladislava out of the front lines and down into Fort Merceus, which will undoubtedly be their next target?"

"And give the Great Bridge to our enemy?" Ferdinand exclaimed in surprise. "Hubert, to do that would be akin to handing the enemy the Empire on a silver platter!"

Edelgard was silent as the two bickered once again, so used to it by now that she was able to tune it out completely as she looked over their strategy yet again. To give up on Myrddin would be dangerous but to weaken their forces at Arianrhod and Fort Merceus was even more so… "Hubert's right."

"Pardon?" Ferdinand asked as Hubert celebrated with that smug little smile of his.

"We can't afford to weaken the defences of the fortresses. If we move now we can probably save most of the soldiers stationed on Myrddin." Edelgard immediately set to work writing her official letter ordering Ladislava and the rest of them off the Great Bridge.

"I… I understand your logic." Ferdinand looked away in frustration. "However, I do not agree that this is the best course of action."

"I would think you a spy if you did, Ferdinand." Edelgard smiled, handing him the message. "Get this to Ladislava post-haste."

"I beg your pardon, Lady Edelgard," Hubert cleared his throat. "Why are you sending Ferdinand as the messenger?"

"If the enemy arrives early, Ferdinand counts as a whole legion of reinforcements – and one who moves faster than a legion at that." Edelgard sighed. "While I would rather keep him closer to the Capital myself, I have to acknowledge that this is a more strategic decision than sending a messenger who could be waylaid or simply killed."

"And if Ferdinand is killed?"

"I will not be-"

"We'll hear word of it in less than a week." Edelgard interrupted Ferdinand as she looked pityingly at Hubert. "Please, Hubert, don't question my reasoning this time."

"I would never, Lady Edelgard." Hubert bowed deeply before drawing himself up to his full height. "However, I must insist that I'll be joining Ferdinand on the Bridge."

"I cannot afford to lose both of you!"

"You will not-"

"I won't be fighting, your Majesty." Ferdinand sighed as he was interrupted yet again. "I will simply escort Ferdinand to the Bridge and watch from afar. If anything is to go awry, I can be back in Enbarr in an instant and we can strategise again from there."

"I don't like this." Edelgard confessed, toying with her quill as she looked between the pair and at the unspoken emotions the two would never confront – and certainly wouldn't if Ferdinand died out there. With a sigh, she waved her hand. "Leave before I change my mind."

The pair bowed their thanks deeply before immediately jogging out of the palace and onto the streets of Enbarr.

"Will you be taking a horse or simply appearing out on the Bridge before I get there?" Ferdinand asked Hubert as he retrieved his horse from the stables.

"I will ride, since I know you'll be more comfortable with that." Hubert took the reigns of his own horse, agreeing to ride alongside Ferdinand in much the same way that one would agree to give a prisoner their last meal, however foolish it may be. "However, I'll be riding in _silence_."

"As you wish." Ferdinand smiled, a strangely melancholic smile, as they mounted and set off in complete silence.

It wasn't uncomfortable nor overbearing, but it was palpable, a constant reminder that there was still much left for them to say to one another, much for them to argue about. A constant reminder that this might be their last ride together. For, while they suspected the enemy would not attack for another three days, there was no saying they wouldn't strike early, they had enough resources after all. And Myrddin was already greatly outnumbered.

Ferdinand might well have been one of the best remaining generals in the Imperial army, but he was no match for an army the size their reports indicated. His mission might only have been to force a retreat of the soldiers, but he would be protecting them as they ran. He would be on the front lines without any protection save his lance.

And Hubert was rather torn up by the idea.

He couldn't stay – his duty was to protect Lady Edelgard after all – but by the Goddess did he want to. They should not be fighting apart, they should be fighting to protect her together as they always had.

He just couldn't quite figure out when he'd decided that by Ferdinand's side was the only place he wanted to be fighting.

They arrived at the Great Bridge of Myrddin in the early hours of the morning, the sun still hours away from rising. There were guards stationed everywhere, watching for any sign of movement on the northern bank, poised and waiting for an attack they knew was soon to come.

Ferdinand called one over and handed him Edelgard's letter. "Take that to General Ladislava immediately, kick her awake if you need to. She must read it before the sun rises."

"Yessir!" The guard ran off immediately, leaving Ferdinand and Hubert alone in silence once again.

With a slight chuckle and that unwavering, melancholic smile of his, Ferdinand offered Hubert is hand. "I suspect I will return, however, if I do not-"

"I will protect Lady Edelgard and the Empire until my very last breath." Hubert reassured him, reaching out his hand to shake Ferdinand's only to find air as the general pulled his away.

"Please let me finish what I was saying."

"Apologies."

Ferdinand looked at him closely, at the dark circles under his eyes, the way his gloves no longer clung to his hands in a snug grip. "I was going to ask you to please take care of yourself for me."

"I beg your pardon?"

"The Empire might be in peril, Hubert, but if you keep this up you won't be able to protect it for much longer." So soft and protective were his features that Hubert couldn't help but take Ferdinand's words to heart as he reached his hand out to shake his own again. One final goodbye. "Promise me you will take care of yourself even after I am gone."

Hubert couldn't meet his eye as he shook his hand, "Don't die."

Laughing, Ferdinand grinned openly, a smile that could light up the darkest days, a constant antidote to Hubert's frown or worse, his own twisted grin. "I certainly do not intend to die while delivering a message!"

Breaking apart, Ferdinand returned to his horse and checked her over as Hubert watched on, a tempest of thoughts running rampant in his head. Neither he nor Ferdinand had ever been the best at expressing their emotions openly, they would never have admitted to themselves, let alone each other, that the had them.

However, they were also not subtle people. They brought each other gifts all the time, expensive teas and coffees as excuses to spend time alone with one another, a new lance or pair of gloves to show they noticed when the other was getting a little worn down… And there really was nothing quite like the threat of impending death to get a man to confess all that was on his mind.

"Ferdinand?" Hubert called out just as he mounted and turned towards the Bridge. Without a second of hesitation, Ferdinand turned his horse around to face Hubert once again. But the look he saw on his face… it was like none he'd ever seen before.

It was soft, so so soft, bordering perhaps on the verge of tears as he met his eye. It was the look of a broken man, the look of a man watching as that which he loved was about to be torn away from him in one fell swoop, the look of a man who just had to say something that had been haunting him for far too long.

"Before you leave," So quiet was his voice that Ferdinand almost didn't hear it as his soft spoken words were snatched up by the wind. But the last thing he said to him, his last word to him, it was heard so clear through the choked emotions caught in his throat. "_Don't._"

Dismounting from his horse once again, Ferdinand came to stand closer to Hubert than ever before, a final gift fished out of his pocket and folded into Hubert's outstretched hand as he gently, reassuringly stroked the side of the man's face. As he wiped away a stay tear Hubert hadn't realised had escaped.

"We shall discuss this more when I return."

So he lead his horse onto the Bridge, his back to Hubert as he silently sobbed out so many emotions he hadn't realised he'd been repressing all this time, watching as Ferdinand walked away, head first into a certain suicide mission.

His fist closed even tighter around the Aegir ring in his palm as fog started rise off the river, as battle cries and screams, as clashes of steel and silver and blasts of lighting and fire started to filter through the air. A single Wyvern roar pierced the fog, suddenly cut off by a terrifying, guttural sputtering and another, far more human scream of pure anguish and pain.

By the time the sun rose, bathing what remained of the fog in a rosy orange glow, the only noises coming from the bridge were groans that were immediately cut off, the occasional impossible to understand discussion between the enemies, an even more rare retching sound as someone vomited into the river.

Most of what Hubert heard as he rode away, his back to the stolen Bridge and Ferdinand's ring tightly gripped in his fist, were the splashes of Imperial corpses being thrown into the red river.


End file.
